Stillwater Debt!!

Stillwater, MN is a beautiful small town people visit all year around especially in the fall, you can see all the trees along St. Croix River are turning into red, yellow, orange etc....
You can take a river cruise, walk around downtown with many antique shops and other artsy type of shops.....
It is easy to get to if you are in Twin Cities area.
Yesterday, when I drove from where I live in the surburg, it took me exactly one hour. It's not too bad though.

A new yarn shop is going to open next month in downtown Stillwater called "Darn Knit Anyway"
www.darnknitanyway.com
I went there to show my SAORI scarves and my new creation "needle felted pierced earrings" to people who are opening the store.
They both liked them and one of them even bought one pair of the earrings at the site!!
I told them about SAORI and I can do classes.....
SO, I will be able to teach SAORI in Stillwater!!
People who took my workshop before and who are living in the area, it's good news for you!
Anyway, I will showcase my work.
The good thing about them is that I can put my contact info. and website.
They said, "We want people to find you directly through us." How Nice!

I am excited! At the same time, I have to weave and make more stuff!! It's okay, it's still FUN.

I will post some images of earrings. I am asking my friend to be a "ear" model. I don't have pierced ears.....I don't have pierced nose either.....

mobius scarf

My first attempt, "Mobius Scarf".

This was introduced in a SAORI monthly report last year in January.
I wanted to try it for such a long time. Yes, it took me a year and eight month to do it.
I have to make the warp a little longer than regular scarf to make this mobius scarf. Instead, I made the width narrower than regular scarves.

Here it is!!
I though I followed the direction, but when I finished and looked at it, I only had fringes one side.
The image shows there are fringes two sides.

Well, it's okay. I like this one side fringes.
I used "fall colors" a lot.
There was a little "tight" part where I put warp as weft in the end, so I made the second one today with organic cotton.
This one, I put some wooded beads in some fringes and I love it!
Shall I keep it as mine? Or shall I keep it to sell since there are many winter gift shows coming up.....

Anyway, I hope you like it!

My two favorite things are.....

One, of course SAORI Weaving.
It leads to more people, new world and new connections!! I love it!

It will be exactly 1 year since I started taking Japanese Drum lesson in Minnesota!!
I take a class every week. It takes me about 35 minutes to get to the class by driving, but I love it! It is so much fun.
Yes, I am playing the Taiko (Japanese Drum) in Minnesota. (in the U.S.)
I have never played the Taiko in Japan. Though I was a part of percussion when I was in Junior high and 1 year in high school in Michigan.

I really enjoy SAORI and Taiko
I need to balance to do both SAORI and Taiko.
I love both, so I can do this!!

I love being in this Taiko community, too! Wonderful people....

It has been a while.....

I do facebook and mixi(a kind of Japanese version of facebook) usually.
I don't update my blog. One reason is "That's because I have to write it in English!".
I know facebook is the same, but I can just write several words.
Well, I can do the same here, too.......
Anyway, I am updating now.
Summer is almost gone (or gone?).
I had a good summer.
I have a good friend now in N.C.
It is so nice to meet and connect to people all over.
I also have good friends who started coming to weave at SAORI Studio "FUN".
One of them is originally from Hawaii, so I am learning about Hawaii when we weave together.
She is learning about Japan from me. Her parents are from Japan, but she grew up in Hawaii.

I entered two pieces this year at the MN State Fair.
I purposefully wove something very SAORI.
I was looking forward to reading the judge's comment.
I hope one day the judge wonders "By the way, what is SAORI?".
I entered a shawl and I received the third premium.
Thank you for my friends who went to look for my pieces. I know it's hard because they don't put any information on the work.

At the State Fair, we found a sewing machine.
My Singer sewing machine I brought from Japan is dying.
I bought it used and used it for over 10 years.
Benjamin the rabbit chewed the code. Dan fixed it, but it was not complete(?) it suddenly stopped when I am sewing.
So, since they were having the big State Fair discount, we decided to get one.
I went to pick it up a few days later and here it is!
My new sewing machine!!
Wow! Sewing machines these days have many functioning, but I know I can take advantages of all the functions, I got a simple one. It's okay, because that's what I need.

I am looking forward to sewing something for mine!?